Remember the Time
by gleekism
Summary: It's been a year since Beth was born, the two glee members are torn because they can't spend it with her and find themselves reconnecting with one another. Major Quick going on here.
1. Chapter 1

It was June 8th, a date that would stick with Puck forever. Since the moment he woke up, he had been down all day. He could just see his daughters hazel eyes every time he even dared to blink or look off into the distance. A year ago, today, Beth was born. Seeing something, a human being, in which Puck had helped create be born had brought tears to his eyes. He could remember the day like it was yesterday, just watching Quinn hold their baby with a smile on her face, it had been the most beautiful scene he had ever been a part of. He sometimes wished he could go back to that day, just to see Beth again, and maybe try harder in convincing Quinn to keep the baby.

He was out of it all day, people could tell too. Cheerleaders giving him the eye or walking by with their short skirts didn't even catch his eye throughout the day. He and Lauren had broken up, and to be honest, the break up wasn't even on his mind anymore. Hell, nothing but Beth was now, especially today. Beth was probably somewhere having her first birthday party and it killed Puck that he wasn't the one throwing it for her.

It was lunch time; Puck was still being unresponsive to most people and didn't have the appetite to eat at the moment. He decided to just take a walk alone, no one would understand his emotional state right now, at least he didn't think so. He didn't even think about Quinn, he was too caught up in his own thoughts.

Walking past the choir room, he could hear someone playing the piano beautifully. At first, he was going to just ignore it, expecting it to maybe be Brad or something, but then he heard someone start to sing. He stopped in his tracks when the voice started to sound familiar, it was none other than miss Quinn Fabray herself. He slowly walked towards the door and peaked in, the piano was facing the door somewhat, so her back was to the entrance of the room as she sat at the piano.

"_Late at night when all the world….is sleeping….i stay up and think of you…and I wish on a star…that somewhere you are…thinking...of me too…" _she sniffled as she continued, as each lyric left her lips, it ached Puck's heart a little more. He knew exactly who she was singing about and who she was singing to. He slowly started to walk closer, keeping his steps as light as possible. _"Cause I'm dreaming….of you tonight…till tomorrow….."_, she stopped playing and buried her face into her hands, obviously crying.

Puck grew worried and rushed over to her, dropping his backpack on the way to her. He sat beside her and just wrapped his arms around her. She leaned into him when she realized who he was and felt safe enough to cry more into his shoulder. Her arms slowly made their way around his waist as he squeezed her, lightly rubbing her back to calm her down. "I miss her too…." He said quietly, letting her know that he too, felt her pain.

Quinn kept crying for another few seconds before slowly pulling away and rubbing her face clear. She looked at him, their faces just inches apart, his arms still loosely around her. "Y-you…remembered?", she asked, her expression in light shock. Puck blinked and wiped away a small tear that had managed to slide down her cheek the moment her last word left her lips. "How could I not?", he asked rhetorically, and looked down. It was true. How on earth could he forget?

Quinn sniffled, just glad that she wasn't the only one that felt that way about this particular day. She expected Puck to have forgotten and just move on with life, but no, here he was, grieving with her. His hands found their way back to his own lap, "she's one today… and I can't tell her 'happy birthday'," he kept his gaze to his hands. Quinn watched Puck, she liked when he let her see his sensitive side, the real him. It was why she would always have a place in her heart for him, moments like these.

She touched his hand; she knew exactly how he felt, mostly because she felt the same exact way. She wanted to be holding her daughter right now, singing to her, and preparing to have a birthday party for her with all of their closest friends. The thought just killed her and made her want to cry more. "How about we go buy a cupcake…and put a candle on it… and have our own little party for her?" she asked, hoping that would maybe help them both. She was a tad bit afraid Puck wouldn't really like the idea. What if he thought it was stupid or pathetic?

Puck looked up at Quinn slowly; they stared at one another for a moment. Quinn loved the way he looked at her, she always did, it always made her weak in the knees actually, but she'd probably never admit that. She could tell that he truly did care for Beth and that made her really happy, even if Beth wasn't present in their lives. Puck nodded slowly, "I'd like that," he said softly and tried his best to give her a smile, but he just couldn't.


	2. Chapter 2

The flame of the candle flickered lightly as the wind blew in every which way, the cold breeze made Quinn button up two more buttons on her black cardigan. There she sat Indian style on her balcony across from none other, than Noah Puckerman. There was a chocolate cupcake in between them, the frosting on top was a light pink representing the tiny girl it was supposed to be for, and there was one lit candle in the center of it.

Quinn stared at the candle for a few seconds before she heard Puck's voice interrupt her thoughts, "Give me your hands," he reached out to her, each arm on opposites sides of the cupcake in between them. Quinn hesitated but nodded in obedience as she took his hands gently, his hands were warm, which was the perfect balance to her cold ones. She could feel him squeeze her hands softly, which made her look up at him. His own hazel eyes staring back at her, he gave her a light nod of encouragement.

This was difficult for both of them, but they were trying so hard to be the stronger one for the other, but it wasn't working out too well for Quinn. She could feel the tears starting to surface; her face was growing a little hot at just the thought of it all. She shook her head as she looked back at him, "I can't" she whispered so only Puck could hear her. She sniffled but kept her tiny hands in his.

Puck sighed, he knew this wasn't going to be easy, but they needed to do this. He hated seeing Quinn so sad, it killed him. He didn't realize how much he still cared for the blonde until now; he took a breath and decided to start the song himself. "Happy…birthday…. To you…..", he sang softly looking at Quinn, giving her a 'you could do this' sort of expression.

Quinn nodded; Puck always had a way of making her feel stronger than she thought she was. She kept her gaze on him for support as she began to do the next line, "happy birthday...to you..." He smiled lightly her way and they continued the song together, their eyes locked with one another's, "happy birthday dear….beth." As their daughter's name left both of their lips, they both broke their gaze and looked down at the cupcake in between them, "happy birthday to….you," they finished the song triggering Quinn's tears.

She quickly took her hands from his grasp and wiped her face, she didn't want him to see her cry again. She sniffled as she tried to hold it in, but she couldn't, 'Beth' was too much of a sensitive topic for her. Puck sat in silence, just staring at the flickering flame, until finally…the breeze became a bit stronger, blowing the candle out.

He heard Quinn crying and looked up immediately, he knew this would be rough for her, but he was glad they did it. Puck grabbed the cupcake and moved it to the side, making his way over to sit beside her and put an arm around her shoulders. "Come here," he said softly and she slowly leaned into him, crying even more now.

"I wish we could have kept her… I don't even know her and I miss her so much," she cried into his chest, but he didn't mind that his shirt was starting to get a bit damp. "me too… but... there's nothing we could do now… but at least we know she's being taken care of, right?" he replied, he felt the same exact way, but he had to try his best to say the right things to Quinn. It was true, right? Beth was in a better place now, she was being taken care of by an adult, instead of two teenagers in high school who probably didn't know the first thing about raising a child.

Quinn didn't reply she just cried some more, "as much as I wish we could have kept her… she deserves a better life than we could have given her… though I think we would have made pretty awesome parents…" he said truthfully and gave Quinn a light squeeze. She wiped her tears, slowly calming down, he was right, Beth did deserve a better life, but that didn't take away the longing to see the baby girl again.

"you know, I am a little disappointed that she didn't come out with a Mohawk," puck added shortly after, trying to make the blonde smile a bit. Plus, it helped him deal with his own emotions; his defense mechanism was humor, though it only worked for so long. Quinn couldn't but laugh a bit at his words, they actually brought her back to that day they were baking and having a mini ingredient fight. Hearing her laughter rather than her tears, made Puck smile a bit, glad to see that he had made her smile even in this time of sadness. She wiped her face until there were no more tears falling down and wrapped one of her arms around the front of his waist.

The two sat in silence for a bit, Quinn felt so safe and at ease in Puck's arms. She forget how nice it was just to have those muscular things wrapped around her, she sighed and looked up at him, "thank you", she said softly.

He looked down at her, her eyes glistening from the moonlight and the leftover tears still in her eyes. She was so beautiful and the look in her eyes just seemed so meaningful to him, he wished he could just take back all the mean things he had said to her the previous year. "no. thank _you_," he said looking back into her eyes, so deep as If he was searching for something in her eyes, even though he didn't know exactly what he was looking for.

"f-for what?" she asked innocently, almost getting lost in his eyes as well. "for letting me do this with you…I thought I'd have to go through this day all alone and…thank you for…letting me in. I know it's not easy for you to open up to people." he gave a light shrug, hoping she wouldn't laugh or anything for how soft he was being at the moment. She smiled a bit, "I was right about you…you are special, I just wish that you showed it more, " she said honestly.

Puck smiled down at her, she was the only person that could bring out certain things in him, and he knew it, he just never admitted it nor truly realized it. He touched her cheek gently with his free hand and leaned in, planting a soft kiss upon her lips. He attempted to pull away a millisecond after their lips touched after such a long period of time, but she had reached up and placed her hand on the back of his neck, keeping his lips just where they were as she returned the kiss.


	3. Chapter 3

Puck was extremely surprised that she had actually initiated a longer kiss, but he wasn't complaining. He kept it innocent for a little longer before he allowed his tongue to part her lips begging for entry. The two began to make out, the feeling of her tongue running along his definitely sent chills down his spine. God, did he miss her.

He tried to bring her closer, but she had unexpectedly pulled away, her hand automatically covering her mouth, "No…," she breathed and shook her head rapidly as she pulled completely away, slipping out of his arms. "I can't do this, puck. Not with you…" she said, quickly regretting how mean it sounded, but it was the truth.

He looked back at her confused, "what do you mean 'not with' me?" he asked, "I thought we just had a break through…", he added. Quinn stared back at him, unable to look away, she felt like his eyes were piercing through her. As much as she wanted to keep kissing him, she couldn't, it wasn't right. They couldn't work. They tried once and it just didn't go so well, why should she expect any different? "we don't belong together, Puck… we've established that… there will always be someone else that catches your eye… and I refuse to allow myself to get hurt again… " she said honestly.

Puck took in her words, she was right, he had screwed up before, but he was different, especially when it came to her. "Quinn, please… just let me prove it to you.. I can be good for you…you're the only girl I've ever… " he couldn't get the next word out, it was tough for him, especially since he knew she was going to turn him down either way. "Please Quinn… this time it'll be different," he pleaded.

Quinn looked away, tears starting to fill her eyes once again, she wanted to believe him, she did, but she couldn't set herself up for disappointment, not again. She didn't say anything for a few seconds, "you need to go," she said, her voice cracking again and a tear sliding down her cheek.

Puck stared at her in shock ,was she really not going to give him another chance? He was going to respect her demand though, he stood up and looked down at her before exiting her balcony, "all I'm asking for is a second chance, Quinn… you make me happy and I'd be fucking stupid to hurt you again… " he said then walked into her bedroom and made his way out of her house.

Quinn quickly buried her face into her hands, the tears just spewing out now. She loved Puck, she knew she did, but she refused to accept it. She couldn't love someone that thought about sex all the time or that looked at other girls all the time. She wanted him to be the guy he said he'd be, she just didn't believe it would happen. Her body started to ache from crying so much, it took her about an hour to calm down and go inside to curl up into her sheets.

As she laid in her bed, staring through her balcony window out at the stars, a thousand thoughts running through her mind, Puck was in his bed doing the same thing, except he was staring up at his ceiling. He knew he had fucked up majorly the last time they tried, he had been an arrogant horny asshole. But didn't she understand that he wasn't that same guy? He never realized how much he actually loved her, but this time, it would be different. He wanted to be with her, he could see himself being with her for a very long time, but why wouldn't she give him a chance? He wasn't going down without a fight though. What could he do to prove to her that it'd be different this time?


	4. Chapter 4

Quinn had tossed and turned what felt like a million times the previous night, thoughts both about Beth and Puck swarming in her mind. She missed Beth and she missed that comfort and safety she felt when she was with Puck, but she was afraid it wouldn't last long, only because he'd easily catch eye of someone else. He wasn't good in relationships, never had been, in fact, she wasn't even sure if he had ever even been in a real relationship. Sure, he dated a few people, but none lasted longer than two weeks. He wasn't ready for one and there was no way she was going to be let him in, just to set herself up for heartache. She couldn't deal with another one, and especially not from him.

She was actually surprised she hadn't seen him yet today, it was already about time for Glee and honestly, she thought she'd have to fight him off a few times today. Thank god, he didn't come up to her though; she really couldn't see him, not now. She knew she hurt him, but it was the right thing to do, for both of them. She didn't want them doing something they'd both only regret. Today was calm though, school had been mildly succeeding in keeping her mind off of certain things. She was actually doing better in her classes, she was aiming to attend Yale, finally setting a goal for herself for her future. She never saw herself as the studious type, but she needed a change, one that was for the better.

She made her way to Glee, finding her usual seat, placing her folder on her lap comfortably. Everyone filed in and she couldn't help but steal a glance at Puck, who was looking back at her. Gah, why did he have to have those cute puppy dog eyes right now? She instantly glanced away and looked forward towards Mr. Schue, as he spoke about Nationals that was only 2 days away. They already had there set list, they were just practicing and rehearsing now. "To warm up, we have a few small performances… Puck you're up first," he said before sitting down and Puck standing up, grabbing the nearest guitar and putting the strap around his neck, getting the instrument in position.

Quinn knew what this was; no wonder he hadn't been bothering her today. Puck always had an angle when he sang solos in Glee and he always got what he wanted to, mostly because it only made him irresistible to say no to. The damn boy knew how to pick the perfect song too, she shook her head, not planning on giving in easily. Puck looked at Quinn then at the group of students, "I just wanted to be honest to someone… so hopefully she gives me another chance," he said looking at Quinn quickly again before starting.

He began to play and sing One Direction's 'Gotta Be You', he figured it was the perfect song for the occasion, word for word. Quinn knew the song well and it made her tense up as he sang it, she didn't want to watch this, but she couldn't help but stare back at the boy as he sang it to her. His voice with the words and the melody was just perfect though, she hated to admit it. She bit her lip as he sang, and as he hit the last note he leaned down before her, staring back up at her. "Only you," he whispered, and her cheeks flushed pink unable to control her reaction.

"Wait, what? when the eff did that happen?" Santana's voice rang through, interrupting the cute moment that was about to happen. Everyone else looked at them confused as well, no one even had an idea that they were friends again, not really at least. Quinn was a little embarrassed and Puck saw that, he stood up and took the guitar off. "It's our business, don't worry about it," he said simply and put the guitar down, taking his seat again. Quinn was left in her seat, just lost in her thoughts and started to actually consider giving him another chance. He seemed genuine, right? and come on, it wasn't easy saying no to Puck. She didn't even pay attention to the rest of Glee, she was just building up different scenarios in her head, in ways that it can all go bad or good.


End file.
